On what should have been a joyous day of celebration, 18-year-old Sujeiti Ocasio was tragically killed. The recent graduate of Barringer High School in Newark, New Jersey, was shot and killed just hours after her graduation party on June 27, 2008. The fatal encounter took place in front of her home on Lincoln Avenue, stemming from a verbal dispute with her neighbor.
The perpetrator was identified as 18-year-old Nicole Guyette, who lived across the street from Ocasio.
The two young women had a history of disagreements. The situation escalated when Ocasio reportedly called Guyette a name. In response, Guyette went into her house, retrieved a gun, and returned to the street to wait for Ocasio. When Ocasio approached, Guyette shot her in the neck. Another teenager, 15-year-old Jasmine Perez, was also shot and injured during the incident but survived.
Nicole Guyette was arrested and charged with murder. In 2010, a jury convicted her of the lesser charge of aggravated manslaughter, as well as two weapons offenses and simple assault. Guyette claimed she believed the gun was inoperable and only intended to strike Ocasio with it. She was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, in 2014, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered a new sentencing hearing due to a legal issue with how aggravating factors were considered in her original sentence.
